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A Governor General, is a vice-regal representative of a monarch in an independent realm
or a major colonial circonscription.
Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor
General can be a governor
of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary"
governors.[1]

Current
uses

Today, the title Governor General is used in the independent Commonwealth
realms (those Commonwealth countries which share Queen Elizabeth II,
as Sovereign), with the exception of the United Kingdom, which does
not have a Governor General, being the Sovereign's home realm.

In modern usage, the term "Governor General" originated in those
British colonies
which became self-governing Dominions within the British Empire
(examples are Australia,
Canada and New Zealand). With the
exception of New
Zealand, each of the previously constituent colonies of these
federated colonies already had a Governor, and the Crown's representative to
the federated Dominion was therefore given the superior title of
Governor General. New Zealand was granted Dominion status in 1907,
but as it had never been a federal state there was no pressing need
to change the gubernatorial title. It was not until 28 June 1917
that the Earl of
Liverpool was appointed the first Governor General of New
Zealand. Another non-federal state, Newfoundland, was a Dominion
for 16 years with the Kings's representative retaining the title of
Governor throughout this
time.

Since the 1950s, the title governor general has been given to
all representatives of the sovereign in independent Commonwealth
realms. In these cases, the former office of colonial governor was
altered (sometimes for the same incumbent) to become Governor
General upon independence, as the nature of the office became an
entirely independent constitutional representative of the monarch
rather than a symbol of previous colonial rule. In these countries
the Governor General acts as the Monarch's representative,
performing the ceremonial and constitutional functions of a Head of
State.

The only other nation which uses the Governor General
designation is Iran, which has no
connection with either the British (or any other) monarchy or the
Commonwealth. In Iran, the provincial authority is headed by a
Governor General[2]
(Persian: استاندار ostāndār), who
is appointed by the Minister of the Interior.

British
colonialism and the Governor General

Until the 1920s, Governors General were British subjects,
appointed on the advice of the British Government, who acted as
agents of the British Government in each Dominion, as well as being
representatives of the monarch. As such they notionally held the
prerogative powers of the monarch, and also held the executive
power of the country to which they were assigned. The Governor
General could be instructed by the Colonial Secretary
on the exercise of some of his functions and duties, such as the
use or withholding of the Royal Assent from legislation; history
shows many examples of Governors General using their prerogative
and executive powers. The monarch or Imperial government could
overrule any Governor General, though this could often be
cumbersome, due to remoteness of the territories from London.

The Governor General was also the head of the armed forces in
his or her territory and, because of the Governor General's control
of the military, the post was as much a military appointment as a
civil one. Indeed, until the late 20th century, the Governor
General's official attire was the court dress, Windsor uniform or other military
uniform.

In some colonies, the title of the royal representative was
never Governor General. The King's representative in New Zealand, for
instance, was simply titled Governor until after the country became
a Dominion.

Modern
Commonwealth

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Independent Commonwealth
realms

Following the Imperial Conference, and subsequent
issuing of the Balfour
Declaration in 1926, the role and responsibilities of the
Governor General began to shift, reflecting the increased
independence of the Dominions (Which were in 1952 renamed Realms;
a term which includes the UK itself). As the sovereign came to be
regarded as monarch of each territory independently, and, as such,
advised only by the ministers of each country in regard to said
country's national affairs (as opposed to a single British monarch
ruling all the Dominions as a conglomerate and advised only by an
imperial parliament), so too did the Governor General become a
direct representative of the national monarch only, who no longer
answered to the British government. These concepts were entrenched
in legislation with the enactment of the Statute of Westminster in
1931, and governmental relations with the United Kingdom were placed in the hands
of a British High Commissioner in each
country.

In other words, the political reality of a self governing
dominion within the British Empire with a Governor General
answerable to the sovereign of Great Britain became clear. British
interference in the dominion was not acceptable and independent
country status was clearly displayed. Canada, Australia and New
Zealand were clearly not controlled by the United Kingdom. The
monarch of these countries (Elizabeth II) is in law Queen of Canada, Queen of Australia, Queen of New Zealand and only acts on the
advice of the ministers in each country and is in no way influenced
by the British government. The monarch appoints a Governor General
as a personal representative only on the advice of the Prime
Minister of the realm. The Governor General of Canada is appointed
by the Queen of Canada on the advice of the Canadian Prime
Minister. The Governor General of Australia is appointed by the
Queen of Australia on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister
and the Governor General of New Zealand is appointed by the Queen
of New Zealand on the advice of the New Zealand Prime Minister,
etc.

Today, therefore, in former British colonies which are now
independent Commonwealth realms, the Governor
General is constitutionally the representative of the monarch in
his or her state, and may exercise the reserve powers of the monarch according
to their own constitutional authority. The Governor General,
however, is still appointed by the monarch, and takes an oath of
allegiance to the monarch of their own country. Executive
authority is also vested in the monarch, though it can be placed
with the Governor General on behalf of the sovereign of the
independent realm. Letters of
Credence or Letters of Recall
are now sometimes received or issued in the name of the monarch,
though in some countries, such as Canada and Australia, the Letters of Credence and Recall
are issued in the name of the Governor General alone.

At diplomatic functions where the Governor General is present,
the visiting diplomat or head of state toasts "The King" or "The
Queen" of the relevant realm, not the Governor General, with any
reference to the Governor General being subsidiary in later toasts
if featuring at all, and will involve a toast to them by name, not
office. (E.g., "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," not "Her Excellency, the
Governor General." Sometimes a toast might be made using name and
office, e.g., "Governor General Smith.")

The Governor General is usually a person with a distinguished
record of public service, often a retired politician, judge or
military commander; but some countries have also appointed
prominent academics,
members of the clergy, philanthropists, or figures from the news
media to the office. The Governor General is formally appointed by
the Monarch, following the specific request of the Prime Minister of the country concerned; Papua New
Guinea and the Solomon Islands are the only realms
that elect their Governor General, in both cases by a parliamentary
vote.

Traditionally, the Governor General's official attire was a
military uniform, but this practice has been abandoned except on
occasions when it is appropriate to be worn. In South Africa, the Governor
General of the Union nominated by the AfrikanerNationalist government
chose not to wear uniform on any occasion. Most Governors General
continue to wear appropriate medals on their clothing when required.

In most Commonwealth realms, the flag of the Governor General
has been the standard pattern of a blue field with the Royal Crest (a lion
standing on a crown) above a scroll with the name of the
jurisdiction. In Canada,
however, this was replaced with a crowned lion clasping a maple
leaf. In the Solomon Islands, the scroll was
replaced with a two-headed frigate bird motif,
while in Fiji, the former Governor
General's flag featured a whale's tooth. In New Zealand, the flag was
replaced in 2008 with the shield of the coat of arms of New Zealand
surmounted by a crown on a blue field.

Governors General are accorded the style of His/Her Excellency. This
style is also extended to their spouses, whether female or male
(for an example of the latter, see Jean-Daniel Lafond).

In former colonies which are now Commonwealth republics, the Governor
General and Monarch have been replaced by an elected or appointed
(sometimes non-executive) Head of State.

Appointment

Until the 1920s, the Governors General were British, and
appointed on the advice of the British Government.

Following the changes to the structure of the Commonwealth in
the late 1920s, in 1929, the Australian Prime Minister James Scullin
established the right of a Dominion Prime Minister to advise the Monarch
directly on the appointment of a Governor General, by insisting
that his choice (Sir Isaac Isaacs, an Australian) prevail over
the recommendation of the British Government. The convention was
gradually established throughout the Commonwealth that the Governor
General would be a citizen of the country concerned, and would be
appointed on the advice of the government of that country, with no
input from the British Government. Since 1931 as each former
Dominion has patriated its constitution from the UK, the
convention has become law and no government of any realm can advise
the Monarch on any matter pertaining to another realm, including
the appointment of a Governor General. Today a country's
Governor-General is appointed by the Sovereign based solely on the
advice of the prime minister of the country concerned.

Other
attributes

Different realms have different constitutional arrangements
governing who acts in place of the Governor General in the event of
his or her death, resignation, or incapacity.

In Australia, an Administrator of the
Commonwealth may be appointed to perform the necessary official
functions, pending a decision by the Sovereign, on the advice of
the Prime Minister, about a
permanent replacement as Governor General. The Administrator has
usually been the senior state governor. Each
state governor normally holds what is known as a dormant
commission. There have been cases where a governor has fallen
out of favor with the government, causing their dormant commission
to be revoked. The most recent example was that of Sir Colin Hannah,
Governor of Queensland, in 1975.

Former Commonwealth
realms

Most Commonwealth countries that are now republics, have a President as head of state,
where previously they had a Governor General. Some became
parliamentary republics, like India, where the presidency is a ceremonial post,
similar to that of the British monarch, while others, like Ghana, adopted a presidential
system like the United States. Australia held a referendum on becoming a parliamentary republic in 1999, but this
was rejected.

The current governments of Barbados and Jamaica while having announced plans to hold
referendums on becoming republics (in each case with a
non-executive President replacing the Queen as head of state, as
occurred in Trinidad and Tobago in 1976), have
not proceeded any further.

Kenya: 12 December 1963–12
December 1964 Malcolm MacDonald (b. 1901–d. 1981),
formerly the last colonial Governor; the country became a republic
with Jomo
Kenyatta, formerly Prime Minister, as executive President.

Malawi: 6 July 1964–6 July
1966 Sir Glyn Smallwood Jones (b. 1908–d.
1992), formerly the last colonial Governor (until 1963 of
"Nyasaland") the country became a republic with Kamuzu Banda, formerly Prime Minister, as
executive President.

Mauritius: Sir John Shaw
Rennie (12 March–3 September 1968) formerly the last colonial
Governor. The country became a republic on 12 March 1992 with the
last Governor General Veerasamy Ringadoo as the first
ceremonial President.

Furthermore, in Napoleonic Europe successive French
Governors-general were appointed by Napoleon I in:

the German states of Brandenburg (various other got 'mere'
Governors), two incumbents during the 27 October 1806 - 10 December
1808 French occupation

Province of Courland
under the French occupation (from 1 August 1812, Duchy of Courland
and Semigallia and District of Pilten nominally re-established under joint
French-Saxon protectorate 8 October 1812 - 20 December 1812) :
Jacques David Martin, baron de Campredon (b. 1761 - d. 1837)

Parma and Piacenza under occupation, (after a Commissioner) 15
February 1804 - 23 July 1808, later annexed as département
under a Prefect of Taro

Portuguese

The equivalent word in Portuguese is Governador-Geral,
but this style was only used in a few major colonies, other
colonies lower titles, mainly Governador (Governor) or Captain-major,
prevailed

In the overseas province of Portuguese India (Estado da
Índia, capital Goa) the style was changed repeatedly for
another, mostly Viceroy, or
a commission

In Brazil, after a few
Governors, from 1578 till its promotion on 13 Jul 1714 to Viceroyalty

in Africa, from 1837 Portugal appointed a Governor-general to
govern the colony of Portuguese West
Africa (later Angola), and
another in Mozambique
(Portuguese East Africa); both offices were restyled in full High
Commissioner and Governor-general in 1921, and both existed
until their 1975 decolonisation.

U.S.

From 1905 to 1935 the Philippines (since 13 August 1898 a U.S
territory; first under three Military and two ordinary Governors)
was administered by a series of Governors General
appointed by the United States.

From 1939 to 1944, during the German occupation of Poland, part of the country was
designated the General Government and the Nazi
official Hans Frank
had the title Governor-General (Generalgouverneur für die
besetzten polnischen Gebiete).

the kingdom of Saxony had
a Governor general twice, under Allied control after French emperor
Napoleon I's defeat:

Asian
counterparts

From 1644 to 1911, in Qing DynastyChina, a Governor General or zongdu
(Chinese: 总督) was the highest official of joint military and civil
affairs in one or several provinces
(alternately translated as Viceroy)